2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 16-19, 2022
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
• Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Championship Central
• Official Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Video (ESPN3): Swimming / Diving
• Friday morning heat sheets

Day Three will feature heats of the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back followed by the preliminary rounds of diving. Some of the matchups we have been anticipating with great enthusiasm will take place today. To begin with, Stanford’s Brooke Forde, swimming at her last collegiate championship, will attempt to defend her title in the 400 IM but after Alex Walsh’s American record in the 200 IM last night, all eyes will be on the Virginia sophomore as she tries to wrest the crown away from the veteran Forde.

The 100 fly will pit defending champion and NCAA record-holder Maggie MacNeil against Stanford freshman Torri Huske. Virginia junior Kate Douglass, fresh off her American record in the 50 free last night, might crash their party.

Lia Thomas of Penn, who made history last night as the first transgender swimmer to win a NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving national title, is top seed in the 200 free. She will face challenges from Cal’s Isabel Ivey, Chloe Stepanek of Texas A&M, Laticia-Leigh Transom from USC, and Kentucky’s Riley Gaines.

Defending champion and NCAA record-holder Sophie Hansson of NC State is top seed in the 100 breast. She will try to fend off Alexis Wenger of Virginia, Kaitlyn Dobler of UCS, Anna Elendt of Texas, and Tennessee’s Mona McSharry. Perhaps the most anticipated race of the day will be the 100 back, where American record-holder, Stanford freshman Regan Smith, will take on defending champion Katharine Berkoff of NC State and Virginia freshman Gretchen Walsh.

Women 400 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• Meet Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• American Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• US Open Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• Pool Record: 3:58.40 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2016)
• 2021 Champion: Brooke Forde, Stanford – 4:01.57

Finals qualifiers:

1. Alex Walsh, SO Virginia – 4:01.74
2. Emma Weyant, FR Virginia – 4:03.46
3. Ellen Walshe, FR Tennessee – 4:03.60
4. Brooke Forde, 5Y Stanford – 4:04.25
5. Mabel Zavaros, SO Florida – 4:04.43
6. Bailey Bonnett, 5Y Kentucky – 4:04.86
7. Lauren Poole, JR Kentucky – 4:04.87
8. Ella Nelson, JR Virginia – 4:05.47
9. Kristen Romano, 5Y Ohio State – 4:06.00
10. Reka Gyorgy, 5Y Virginia Tech – 4:06.48
11. Megan Van Berkom, SO Minnesota 4:06.81
12. Abby Hay, JR Louisville – 4:07.18
13. Alexis Yager, 5Y Tennessee – 4:07.35
14. Felicia Pasadyn, SR Harvard – 4:08.35
15. Gillian Davey, JR Kentucky – 4:08.27
16. Leah Polonsky, FR Cal – 4:08.55

NC State sophomore Yara Hierath won heat 1 with 4:12.18, taking 1.1 seconds off her seed time. Sally Tafuto of Ohio State and Tennessee’s Aly Breslin were DNS in lanes 7 and 8. UCLA freshman Paige Maceachern took heat 2 by a body length with 4:10.19. Virginia sophomore Sophia Wilson (4:11.10) and Cal’s Annika McEnroe (4:13.65) followed in second and third.

Felicia Pasadyn of Harvard went a lifetime best in heat 3 to win from lane 8 with 4:08.35 ahead of Michigan senior Victoria Kwan (4:10.20) and Tennessee freshman Summer Smith (4:11.07).

The first circle-seeded heat went to Tennessee freshman Ellen Walsh in 4:03.60. Florida sophomore Mabel Zavaros just touched out Kentucky’s Lauren Poole, 4:04.43 to 4:04.87, for second. Ohio State’s Kristen Romano was fourth in 4:06.00.

Alex Walsh, already up by two body lengths headed into the freestyle leg, won heat 5 handily. Virginia teammate Emma Weyant closed the distance on the final 100 but Walsh prevailed, 4:01.74 to 4:03.46. Louisville junior Abby Hay (4:07.18) edged Tennessee 5th-year Alexis Yager (4:07.34) for third.

Virginia Tech’s Reka Gyorgy led at the halfway mark from out in lane 1, but Kentucky’s Bailey Bonnett surged to the lead on the breaststroke leg. Stanford’s Brooke Forde, the top seed, moved from fourth place to second on the third 100, while Virginia’s Ella Nelson moved moved to third, just behind Forde. Forde sprinted home over the final 50 to get the win with 4:04.25. Bonnett went 4:04.64 for second, while Nelson touched in 4:05.47 for third.

Women 100 Yard Butterfly – Prelims

• NCAA Record: 48.89 – Maggie MacNeil, Michigan (2021)
• Meet Record: 48.89 – Maggie MacNeil, Michigan (2021)
• American Record: 49.24 – Claire Curzan, TAC Titans (2022)
• US Open Record: 48.89 – Maggie MacNeil, Michigan (2021)
• Pool Record: 49.43 – Kelsi Worrell, Louisville (2016)
• 2021 Champion: Maggie MacNeil, Michigan – 48.89

Finals qualifiers:

1. Kate Douglass, JR Virginia – 50.06
2. Torri Huske, FR Stanford – 50.62
3. Ellen Walshe, FR Tennessee – 50.65
4. Emma Sticklen, SO Texas – 50.73
5. Maggie MacNeil, SR Michigan – 50.76
6. Gabi Albiero, SO Lousiville – 50.84
7. Kylee Alons, SR NC State – 50.94
8. Olivia Bray, SO Texas – 51.04
9. Lexi Cuomo, JR Virginia – 51.22
10. Rhyan White, SR Alabama – 51.27
11. Dakota Luther, SR Georgia – 51.37
12. Olivia Carter, SR Michigan – 51.43
13. Katherine Zenick, SO Ohio State – 51.64
14. Ellie Vannote, JR North Carolina – 51.73
15. Tristen Ulett, SO Louisville / Jessica Nava, SR Virginia – 51.79

Auburn freshman Lexie Mulvihill swam alone in heat 1, as three swimmers were DNS in the heat: Nyah Funderburke of Ohio State, AJ Kutch from Tennessee, and Alabama’s Morgan Liberto. Mulvihill registered a 53.79. Heat 2 went to Florida State freshman Edith Jernstedt in 52.35. Christiana Regenauer of Louisville and Arizona State’s Jade Foelske tied for second with 52.68.

Cal junior Rachel Klinker went 52.08 to win heat 3 over Virginia Tech teammates Luana Alonso (52.29) and Karisa Franz (52.37). Virginia junior Lexi Cuomo cracked 52 for the first time with a heat 4 win from lane 1. She clocked a 51.22 to finish a half-second ahead of UNC junior Ellie Vannote (51.73), Cal State Bakersfield senior Autumn D’Arcy (51.80), and Cal freshman Mia Kragh (51.85).

Virginia junior Kate Douglass threw down a 50.06 to win heat 5. Kylee Alons of NC State edged Alabama senior Rhyan White, 50.94 to 51.27, for third. Georgia senior Dakota Luther was just a tenth back in 51.37.

Texas sophomore Emma Sticklen just touched out defending champion Maggie MacNeil of Michigan, 50.73 to 50.76. Sticklen’s back half, just a tick faster, made the difference. (MacNeil will be in lane 7 tonight, which, if you remember, is the lane in which she swam for her Olympic gold medal.) Texas sophomore Olivia Bray went 1:01.04 for third.

Stanford freshman Torri Huske grabbed the final heat win in 50.62. Tennessee’s Ellen Walshe, in her second consecutive event, was only .03 behind in 50.65. Louisville sophomore Gabi Albiero was third (50.84).

Women 200 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, California (2015)
• Meet Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, California (2015)
• American Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, California (2015)
• US Open Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, California (2015)
• Pool Record: 1:41.70 – Mallory Comerford, Louisville (2017)
• 2021 Champion: Paige Madden, Virginia – 1:42.35

Finals qualifiers:

1. Taylor Ruck, JR Stanford – 1:41.89
2. Lia Thomas, 5Y Penn – 1:42.09
3. Isabel Ivey, SR California – 1:42.24
4. Kelly Pash, JR Texas – 1:42.78
5. Laticia-Leigh Transom, SR USC – 1:42.93
6. Lillie Nordmann, FR Stanford – 1:43.02
7. Riley Gaines, SR Kentucky – 1:43.05
8. Morgan Tankersley, SR Stanford – 1:43.53
9. Reilly Tiltmann, FR Virginia – 1:43.59
10. Erica Laning, 5Y ASU – 1:44.38
11. Chloe Stepanek, SO TAMU – 1:44.43
12. Anna Peplowski, FR Indiana – 1:44.55
13. Dune Coetzee, FR Georgia – 1:44.65
14. Talia Bates, JR Florida – 1:44.74
15. Ayla Spitz, JR California – 1:44.92
16. Emma Atkinson, SO VT – 1:44.93

Lindsay Looney of Arizona State went 1:45.79 to win heat 1 from the outside lane; next to her was an open lane as Louisville’s Liberty Williams was DNS. Georgia freshman Dune Coetzee was first to the wall in 1:44.65 in the next heat, improving her seed time by 1.5 seconds. Stanford’s Aurora Roghair touched second with 1:45.87, just ahead of Florida junior Tylor Mathieu (1:46.16).

Arina Openysheva, a senior from Louisville, edged Kentucky senior Izzy Gati, 1:45.33 to 1:45.57, in the third heat. Georgia’s Maxine Parker was DNS in that heat. Stanford freshman Lillie Nordmann dominated heat 4 with 1:43.02. Ayla Spitz (1:44.92) of Cal touched out Ekaterina Nikonova of Florida (1:45.05) for second.

Stanford junior Taylor Ruck blew away the field in heat 5, the first of the circle-seeds, from lane 7 where she clocked a 1:41.89 to beat her seed time by 2.7 seconds. Virginia freshman Reilly Tiltmann went 1:43.59 to finish second, half a body in front of Texas A&M’s Chloe Stepanek.

Isabel Ivey of Cal was the wire-to-wire leader in heat 6; she stopped the clock at 1:42.24 for the win. Texas junior Kelly Pash (1:42.78) and Kentucky senior Riley Gaines (1:43.05) followed in quick succession.

Lia Thomas of Penn touched first in the last heat, coming to the will in 1:42.09 to beat USC senior Laticia-Leigh Transom by just over eight-tenths. Transom was first out of the gates, leading by half a body at the 100. Thomas then began to put her legs into it and she outsplit Transom by .9 on the third 50 and by 1.3 seconds on the fourth. Transom went 1:42.93 for second. Stanford’s Morgan Tankersley was third with 1:43.53, while ASU’s Erica Laning came in fourth (1:44.38) from lane 1.

Women 100 Yard Breaststroke – Prelims

• NCAA Record: 55.73 – Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• Meet Record: 55.73 – Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• American Record: 55.73 – Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• US Open Record: 55.73 – Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• Pool Record: 56.72 – Sophie Hansson, NCSU (2022)
• 2021 Champion: Sophie Hansson, NC State – 57.23

Finals qualifiers:

1. Anna Elendt, SO Texas – 56.88
2. Kaitlyn Dobler, SO USC – 57.55
3. Alexis Wenger, SR Virginia – 57.67
4. Sophie Hansson, SR NCSU – 57.71
5. Mona McSharry, SO Tennessee – 57.87
6. Hannah Bach, JR Ohio St – 57.89
7. Tara Vovk, SR Northwestern – 58.01
8. Sophie Angus, SR Northwestern – 58.19
9. Avery Wiseman, FR Alabama – 58.52
10. Andrea Podmanikova, SR NCSU – 58.69
11. Klara Thormalm, SR San Diego St – 58.99
12. (tie) Anna Keating, SO Virginia / Zoie Hartman, JR Georgia – 59.05
13. –
14. (tie) Vanessa Herrmann, SR Arkansas / Noelle Peplowski, SR Indiana – 59.27
15. –
16. Letitia Sim, FR Michigan – 59.29

NC State fifth-year Julia Poole improve her seed time by .6 to win heat 1 in 59.83. Florida International freshman Christie Chue took heat 2 from the outside land with 59.86. Heat 3 was much closer, with Virginia sophomore Anna Keating (59.05) beating Indiana senior Noelle Peplowski (59.27) and UCLA senior Claire Grover (59.54).

Kaitlyn Dobler of USC opened the circle-seeded heats with a 57.55. Ohio State junior Hannah Bach (57.89) was also under 58 seconds, coming to the wall second. Sophie Angus of Northwestern went 58.19 for third in the heat. Zoie Hartman of Georgia touched fourth (59.05).

Virginia senior Alexis Wenger touched out Tennessee sophomore Mona McSharry, 57.67 to 57.87 in heat 5. Andrea Podmanikova of NC State was third in 58.69.

Texas sophomore Anna Elendt blew away the field in the last heat, notching a 56.88 to become the fifth-fastest performer of all-time. Defending champion Sophie Hansson of NC State came to the wall second (57.71) ahead of Northwestern’s Tara Vovk (58.01) and Alabama freshman Avery Wiseman (58.52). Vovk improved her seed time by half a second, her third PB of the season after prelims and finals at B1Gs.

Women 100 Yard Backstroke – Prelims

• NCAA Record: 49.18 – Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
• Meet Record: 49.18 – Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
• American Record: 49.16 – Regan Smith, Riptide (2021)
• US Open Record: 49.16 – Regan Smith, Riptide (2021)
• Pool Record: 49.41 – Katharine Berkoff, NCSU (2022)
• 2021 Champion: Katharine Berkoff, NC State – 49.74

Finals qualifiers:

1. Regan Smith, FR Stanford – 49.66
2. Katharine Berkoff, JR NC State / Gretchen Walsh, FR Virginia – 49.93
3. –
4. Rhyan White, SR Alabama – 50.65
5. Olivia Bray, SO Texas – 50.69
6. Reilly Tiltmann, FR Virginia – 50.72
7. Grace Countie, SR North Carolina – 50.96
8. Isabelle Stadden, SO Cal – 51.19
9. Phoebe Bacon, SO Wisconsin – 51.27
10. Lucie Nordmann, JR Stanford – 51.33
11. Aria Bernal, 5Y Arizona – 51.50
12. Taylor Ruck, JR Stanford – 51.55
13. (tie) Emma Muzzy, SR NC State / Mackenzie McConagha – 51.75
14. –
15. Meredith Rees, JR Missouri – 51.77
16. (tie) Nyah Funderburke, FR Ohio State / Sophie Lindner, SR North Carolina – 51.83

Akron junior Weronika Gorecka (53.59) improved her entry time by .06 to win heat 1. Villanova senior Kelly Montesi was .8 better than her seed time to claim heat 2 in 52.45. Heat 3 went to Kentucky senior Sophie Sorenson in 52.11 ahead of Arkansas senior Kobie Melton (52.65).

Texas A&M freshman Kaitlyn Owens won heat 4 with 52.37, just ahead of SIU freshman Celia Pulido (52.49). Indiana freshman Anna Peplowski was a DNS in lane 4 of that heat. Virginia Tech sophomore Emma Atkinson broke 52 to notch a heat 5 win with 51.99, .01 ahead of Auburn sophomore Meghan Lee. Penn State senior Marie Schobel touched third in 52.13.

Virginia freshman Gretchen Walsh won the first of the circle-seeds with 49.93. Texas sophomore Olivia Bray came in second with 50.69 in front of North Carolina senior Grace Countie (50.96).

Defending champion Katharine Berkoff prevailed in the penultimate heat with 49.93. Virginia freshman Tiltmann, who competed in the 200 free earlier, came in second with 50.72. Stanford junior Lucie Nordmann just out-touched teammate Ruck -also swimming for the second time after the 200 free- for third place, 51.33 to 51.55.

Stanford freshman Regan Smith posted the top time of the morning in the final heat, going 49.66. Behind her were Alabama senior White, who also swam the 100 fly, was second in the heat with 50.65. Phoebe Bacon of Wisconsin was third in 51.27.

Swim-off for 16th place:

1. Sophie Lindner, SR North Carolina – 51.38
2. Nyah Funderburke, FR Ohio State – 51.55

Funderburke and Lindner both flipped at 25.03 at the 50, but Lindner came home .17 faster to win with 51.38 to 51.55. Both were faster than they had been an hour ago.

Women 3-Meter Diving – Prelims

• Meet Record: 437.75 – Christina Loukas, Indiana (2009)
• Pool Record: 429.05 – Abby Johnson, Duke (2011)
• 2021 Champion: Sarah Bacon, Minnesota – 408.60

Finals qualifiers:

1. Sarah Bacon, SR Minnesota – 386.25
2. Kristen Hayden, SR Indiana – 381.45
3. Hailey Hernandez, FR Texas – 366.35
4. Paola Pineda, SR Texas – 357.40
5. Mia Vallee, JR Miami (Florida) – 356.55
6. Tarrin Gilliland, SO Indiana – 351.50
7. Delaney Schnell, JR Arizona – 348.40
8. Carolina Sculti, SR Stanford – 348.30
9. Jordan Skilken, JR Texas – 332.55
10. Kyndal Knight, SR Kentucky – 331.20
11. Abigail Knapton, SR Rutgers – 331.20
12. Aran Vasquez Montano, SO UNC – 330.20
13. Maha Amer, JR Florida – 325.60
14. Margo O’Meara, FR Duke – 324.75
15. Melissa Mirafuentes, JR Wyoming – 318.05
16. Kelly Straub, SR Notre Dame – 316.85

Defending champion Sarah Bacon of Minnesota led the qualifiers on the 3-meter board this morning. Miami’s Mia Valley, who upset Bacon for the 1-meter win on Thursday night, made the top-8 as well.

Texas put two divers in the A final, Hailey Hernandez and Paola Pineda, and one in the B final (Jordan Skilken). The Longhorns are projected to pass Stanford in the team standings tonight, thanks in no small part to their divers.